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Updated: Budgeting At Grand Canyon National Park Is Not Always As Simple As You Might Think

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In a park with many uses -- mule rides, backpacking, river running -- budgeting to meet needs at Grand Canyon National Park is not always easy or simple. Top photo by Cecil Stoughton, National Park Service Historic Photograph Collection; middle photo NPS; bottom photo, Mark Lellouch, NPS.

Editor's note: This rewords the 15th paragraph to reflect that park officials did not say most comments received on the environmental assessment spoke in favor of above-the-rim rides over Inner Gorge rides.

The recent debate over mule rides in Grand Canyon National Park has left park officials, who say they have to live within their budgets and the public's desires, strongly criticized by mule backers, who say trail impacts might be less of an issue if park managers were smarter with how they spend their money.

Unfortunately for outsiders, fully understanding National Park Service budgeting is not always an easy task. There are funds dedicated to specific aspects of a park's operations, overlapping assignments that can make it difficult to tease out how much is spent on a specific area, and, among other things, funds that must be spent within a specific time-frame.

These challenges can be found in just about every one of the 394 units of the National Park System, which makes the following a helpful primer for those trying to understand how spending decisions sometimes are made in their favorite parks.

When Grand Canyon officials in March 2010 embarked on an environmental assessment to help chart the future of livestock use in the park, they pointed out that "an annual budget of approximately $3 million is needed to adequately maintain the park’s corridor trails; however, the park only receives between $1.5 and $2 million annually through entrance fees, concessions franchise fees and other sources for trail maintenance and repair."

"Additionally," they continued, "deferred maintenance costs on inner canyon corridor trails currently exceeds $24 million (GRCA PAMP 2006) – unless management actions are taken in the near future, trails will continue to fall into disrepair and deferred maintenance costs will continue to increase."

The uproar over the park's eventual decision to restrict public mule rides down to Phantom Range in the park's Inner Gorge to 10 mules per day along the Bright Angel Trail, and 10 a day from Phantom Ranch to the South Rim via the South Kaibab Trail, got me wondering about the trail maintenance funding woes, and how easily it might be to move money from another area to help meet those needs.

Since river trips down the Colorado River are a main attraction of the Grand Canyon and require more than a little attention from the park to manage, I figured that'd be a good place to look into the funding quagmire. What I found out is that nothing is entirely cut-and-dried when it comes to park funding.

For starters, Grand Canyon National Park currently spends about $1.4 million a year on river operations -- the permitting office, river patrols, concessions program, rangers staffing the put-in and takeout, environmental audits, and fee collections from river trips, just to name the most obvious tasks.

To cover that $1.4 million, the park receives a little more than $200,000 for river operations in its base funding from Congress, according to park spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge. Another $600,000 or so comes from private user fees, she added, and the balance -- some $500,000 -- comes from concession fees.

“That pays for us to administer that operation," she said, "and that, too, pays for a ranger at Lee’s Ferry (the put-in), it pays for a ranger at Meadview (the takeout), it pays for river patrol operations."

And often those river patrols are multi-purpose, Ms. Oltrogge continued, explaining that while there might be a river ranger on the boat, there often might be someone working on Inner Gorge trail maintenance, vegetation studies, or archaeological or fisheries research. As a result, here can be a mingling of park funds traveling in that boat.

"It’s not as clean as you can take it from here without affecting something else. As nice as that would be, you just can’t do that," said Ms. Oltrogge.

Indeed, added Barclay Trimble, the Grand Canyon's deputy superintendent for business services, the money generated by river trips has to be spent on river management.

“All the stuff that comes from cost recovery from the privates (trips), that has to be spent on the resources that are being used to generate those fees. So that really can’t be reallocated at all," he said.

As to the furor over just 10 mule rides a day, park officials pointed out that current use patterns overwhelmingly show there are more hikers in the canyon than mule trips. Nearly 200 comments were received on the draft EA, they said in their synopsis, and "a wide variety of comments were received and a majority supported retention of at least some level of stock use in the park." By making more above-the-rim mule rides available, the park was responding to public demand, the officials said.

"I would say we're providing an opportunity for a bigger population, a bigger visitation base, to have that experience" of a mule ride atop the South or North rims, rather than in canyon's Inner Gorge, Mr. Trimble said during an earlier conversation. "We have had several comments over many, many, many years ... about a need for some above the rim. Not everybody wants to spend a full day going down into the canyon, baking in the sun, and coming back out.”

“The opportunity is still there, we are still providing mules down into Phantom Ranch and the North Rim is providing a ride down into the canyon," he added.

In an editorial endorsing the park's preferred livestock plan, the Arizona Daily Sun pointed to the disparity between the numbers of hikers and mule riders in the canyon.

In truth, it hasn't been the mule rides that have increased dramatically but the number of hikers -- hundreds of thousands now use the Bright Angel and South Kaibab trails each year. The two groups have combined to wear out the trails much faster than they can be repaired, resulting in a $20 million backlog of repairs.

But because there are no other viable trail corridors into Phantom Ranch, something had to give, and it was clear that the visitor experiences of 300,000 annual hikers were going to outweigh those of 10,000 mule riders. Deeply rutted trails filled with mule dung and urine, combined with rules of the road that give mule trains priority -- even when they step on a hiker's foot -- made it a foregone conclusion that some of the mules would have to go.

The move to fewer mules in the Grand Canyon is a changing of the recreational guard. While mules long have been associated with the canyon -- Brighty, anyone? -- the demand for mule rides into the canyon at a minimum seems to be slackening, while the influx of hikers determined to hoof it with their gear on their back is climbing.

Under today's budgeting scenario, something had to give, and park officials went into their deliberations with one certainty, as Ms. Oltrogge pointed out during our conversation.

“No matter what decision you make, you’re going to have people happy with it and people who are not," she said.

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Shaggy, I'm sure you have seen the picture of that stretch of trail posted on this morning talk show that rain water has scoured the trail out, was it done this way just to try and blame mules when it had no mule traffic on it at all ? or was it done this way so that NPS trail crews could see little water fall's with out going to the river ? :) Shaggy if ya dont put in a water bar every so often to divert the run off - off the edge its goona eat the trail alive, but its not there fault because they were not trained properly, so I understand,,, or maybe they knew it was job security after every rain storm ? As for back country stock use I was happy to see this next info so if any one wants to ride there own private stock in remotes trails of the Canyon we can all do that as long as we are not camping and with out a permit :)

A backcountry permit is required for:

* overnight hiking
* overnight horseback riding
* overnight cross-country ski trips
* off-river overnight hikes by river trip members
* overnight camping at rim sites other than developed campgrounds
* overnight camping on the North Rim during the winter season

A backcountry permit is not required for:

* day hiking
* day horseback riding
* overnight camping at Mather Campground, Desert View Campground, North Rim Campground (summer season only), and Tuweep Campground
* overnight stays at the dormitories or cabins at Phantom Ranch (advanced reservations with Xanterra Parks & Resorts required)


Safety on the Mule rides has all way's been top priority with management from the mule barn as well as every wrangler- Guide there are Rules for hiking the canyon in areas of mule rides and those rules are clearly posted at trail heads and CLEARLY every one must abide by these Canyon law's for the safety of the mule and rider, as a mule guide the safety of each rider is above everything and is not taken lightly, your al way's on the look out for something to go wrong before it happens, and most riders dont even notice that complete attention from there guide, what seems to be an easy job is not wile catering to every need of the rider and keeping them safe at the same time, as a guide you have to watch out for so many things such as unstable rock and ice that may shift wile mules pass by, listening for huge ice sheets from above that break off , wild animals moving in brushy areas next to trail, Hiker trash blowing in the wind, Riders that want to take off extra clothing or garments etc falling off, or the rider getting sick, all demanding a stop and a wranglers attention, but the most complicated issue for a riders safety is the hikers coming at ya from above and below and Ive seen many that role rocks just for there kicks, there are places on these trails for mule rides ya just dont stop mules if it can be avoided because of how wide some areas or narrow they are and the kind of drop off below, when mule trains are coming out of the Canyon there are certain areas that every guide rests his mules with heads out, these spots in the most part are wider areas in the trails so that hikers can pass wile mules take a breather, many hikers are so over loaded and wore out that in many cases there footing wile passing mules is not very stable, the last thing ya want is a hiker with all kind a stuff hanging from a pack falling into a mule and rider, so these areas are a type of safety corrader to every wrangler wile hikers pass and the location of those spots are handed down from guide to guide, from what Ive read on the face book mule appreciations pages the fact that SUPERMAN Martin got into an argument with a wrangler tell's me very clearly that Martin did NOT follow the Wranglers instruction's thinking he was above the law, with all the riders as witness Im sure there where comment sheets wrote out from riders that watched this ordeal unfold, at that point and time MARTIN should have been FIRED with out retirement pay,,, maybe after an investigation into that matter involving the SAFETY of the Mule Riders maybe a congressman or Senator can get that retirement money yanked, but I wonder if theres more money there than meets the eye ? Kind Regards Former Wrangler Gordon Smith


Safety on the Mule rides has all way's been top priority with management from the mule barn as well as every wrangler- Guide there are Rules for hiking the canyon in areas of mule rides and those rules are clearly posted at trail heads and CLEARLY every one must abide by these Canyon law's for the safety of the mule and rider, as a mule guide the safety of each rider is above everything and is not taken lightly, your al way's on the look out for something to go wrong before it happens, and most riders dont even notice that complete attention from there guide, what seems to be an easy job is not wile catering to every need of the rider and keeping them safe at the same time, as a guide you have to watch out for so many things such as unstable rock and ice that may shift wile mules pass by, listening for huge ice sheets from above that break off , wild animals moving in brushy areas next to trail, Hiker trash blowing in the wind, Riders that want to take off extra clothing or garments etc falling off, or the rider getting sick, all demanding a stop and a wranglers attention, but the most complicated issue for a riders safety is the hikers coming at ya from above and below and Ive seen many that role rocks just for there kicks, there are places on these trails for mule rides ya just dont stop mules if it can be avoided because of how wide some areas or narrow they are and the kind of drop off below, when mule trains are coming out of the Canyon there are certain areas that every guide rests his mules with heads out, these spots in the most part are wider areas in the trails so that hikers can pass wile mules take a breather, many hikers are so over loaded and wore out that in many cases there footing wile passing mules is not very stable, the last thing ya want is a hiker with all kind a stuff hanging from a pack falling into a mule and rider, so these areas are a type of safety corrader to every wrangler wile hikers pass and the location of those spots are handed down from guide to guide, from what Ive read on the face book mule appreciations pages the fact that SUPERMAN Martin got into an argument with a wrangler tell's me very clearly that Martin did NOT follow the Wranglers instruction's thinking he was above the law, with all the riders as witness Im sure there where comment sheets wrote out from riders that watched this ordeal unfold, at that point and time MARTIN should have been FIRED with out retirement pay,,, maybe after an investigation into that matter involving the SAFETY of the Mule Riders maybe a congressman or Senator can get that retirement money yanked, but I wonder if theres more money there than meets the eye ? Kind Regards Former Wrangler Gordon Smith


So - you managed to repair all the trails in the Grand Canyon with a 4-person crew using your reputation....and thats all it took? Thats one heck of a bag of qualifications, I can understand why it would be so cheap.

In the real world - work crews actually cost money, training work crews and supporting their activity takes a diverse skill set - and performing work in public places takes cooperation and time, which also amounts to money.

I have seen comments in this thread that state the NPS crews are responsible for the entire park, looking at the Grand Canyon website the park has over 700 miles of trail, and you seem to be focused on the 15-or so miles that the mules used while you worked there.

Could it be that these work crews where working elsewhere, while your crew of 4 was working on the 15 miles your mules where damaging? seem logical to me. Or, do you figure that Mr. Allen should have been reporting to you, or doing the work instead of you. There seem to be a whole in argument you would like to make about this individual that is irrelevant.

Some items I am hoping to discuss with you would be total Cost of Ownership, and Life-Cycle Cost. Just some more basic numbers. If you have a item that requires maintenance you should expect to put 5% (more in unique environments such as the Grand canyon - maybe 12%) of the total value of that thing in to its annual maintenance or recurring maintenance (RM) (that's every year), in this case you have an 80-year old thing (the trail system) which actually has a 25-million-ish Deferred Maintenance (DM) as stated in this and other threads. DM is work that need to be performed before you would even begin the (RM)otherwide you are wasting your time and money (like putting oil into an old truck that leaks oil - you should probably fix the oil leak first).

This tells me that the Goverment would have to put 25-m into Rehabilitation (fixing the oil leak) just to get it to the point that you would be able to keep up with that 5%-12% of maintenance cost annually....... so with 100k as you mentioned earlier. There is no way your work was making any progress - doing the RM with first doing the DM is nothing other than a failed attempt.

Additionally - I am not sure what the total value of the Corridor Trails in the Grand Canyon is... but I am sure it would cost more that 5-m to built or rebuild in todays dollars, even the 15-miles of trail we are discussing here has a lot of features, or individual parts that each require their own specific maintenance needs. The NPS has said it would need 3-m annually to keep up with the trail maintenance. I would assume that is 5% of the value of the trail system....just guessing.

So - Mr. Murph - using the power of deductive reasoning it seems to me that you may have supported a work crew, and you probably do great work, and you are obviously very proud of your accomplishments....but I dont think you are understand the real cost of doing buisness in todays economy.

Also, I am not sure that you are fully grasping the complexity of working on public lands in historic landscapes. Long gone are the days of pick and shovel work without constraint, documentation. The NPS is required to report their work and document their activities, (the whoel transparency/accountability thing) so I would just guess that the NPS crews may have been out doing the DM work discussed earlier while you 4-person crew did the RM........ Just maybe why you did not interact with these crews much.

This reminds me of conversations I have had with similiar work crews when they dont see, or know what the other crew is doing. They typically say this like "I have to do all the work" - Whats the "other crew" doing. My experience is that the other crew is usually working too, and usually saying the same thing.


Gordon, I'm well aware of the frustration and outrage with this issue. The twisted statistics, some lies, yes lies, the imaging and use of environmental buzz words when those most responsible stand quiet during the orchestrated loss to the great majority of those that OWN the Canyon, is indeed frustrating. Our tone does tend to be that way considering the assault that one individual has waged against the iconic Ride. I believe that one individual deserves our wrath and investigation and not the foot soldiers that we see doing the heavy lifting while working under that one individual's direction. We all know what that's like.
The animosity toward that individual began from very early in his tenure when it was rumored that he was here to get rid of then mules. It was compounded by a trail incident involving a hiking party led by that individual including his wife. Without him identifying himself he confronted the wrangler, Filip Zalesky while he was tending to a guest. Filip acting in accordance with NPS Trail Rules verbally engaged "that individual" but the all powerful individual got in a shouting match with individual's wife also participating. This is Superintendent individual, we're speaking of here. The impression by the witnesses was that individual seem to be quite full of himself and position and went to the Filip's boss to support him all to no avail. Individual called management and Filip was suspended then, deeply disappointed that he wasn't supported he resigned and left the Rim. A FOIA request was made to NPS concerning the incident resulting in a response that there was NO RECORD of an incident taking place. There are many witnesses if someone would care to investigate.
So I for one believe the driving force with the EA is the "individual" and not those trying to do the best job they can in very difficult circumstances.


Ahh yes - the old leave the waterbar out trick. Its diabolical, these NPS and their waterbar conspiracies.

If only these improperly trained, and overy lazy, moronic people could do something right, the Grand canyon would never show effects from erosion again...... Gordon, you have missed your calling, you should work on a trail crew.

Just a question, are we sure the NPS installed the set of check steps in the photo? I have seen comments from Casey Murph that indicate his 4-person crew was free to work independantly and their work was not properly documented. it could be that the NPS just threw a bunch of dirt on the Xanterra crews work and the next rain event washed that dirt off. the logs in the photo do seem a bit worn out from mule traffic to be new construction.


The point of that picture was to show erosion damage. There wouldn't be 4 million visitors coming to the Canyon without erosion damage on a GRAND scale, LOL. Doesn't matter who put or didn't put water bars in. The arguments that divert attention from the real truth of what's happening here is just that, a diversion.
Lets look at the truth of the Stock Use EA Public Comments submitted to NPS that were misreported as "mostly supporting " reduction in mules. In reality the number supporting historical numbers of riders IN the Canyon compared to getting the mules out is over 6-1. You include the somewhat reduction with total elimination against the pro mules, the historical number of riders still win by OVER 2-1.
People can get figures wrong but this is indicative of something MUCH more serious. A review of this EA and how it was arrived at needs to be done (and reversed).


But Shaggy, I have done allot of trail work on both rim's in the past, one winter on the South Rim me and 5 other Wranglers that decided to stay on for the winter went in and done trail work for months and many days used as many as 10 head of mules to haul dirt, water bar's, and tools and worked our a---- off, wile also running into NPS trail crews with less equipment and personel, between there hikes in and out and yoga tome etc, they were only getting in about 2 hours of work per day but getting with MY tax payer money the full wage, now shaggy lets get real about the facts here. Best G


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